Archive for July, 2010
This is a quote from “The Week”, July 2 – 9, 2010.
“The more successful companies become, the more difficult it is for them to recognize when they must change. We all know that many industries, such as entertainment, education, publishing and financial services, are going to look very different tomorrow, yet today’s market leaders will probably be the last ones to transform themselves, even if they realize they must in order to survive. Why do companies find it so tough to tackle the obvious? One reason could be that over time, successful enterprises create distinct business ideologies–specific ideas about how to compete, performance measures, organizational structures, and whom to reward. The beliefs and practices constitute a company’s dominant logic. Every employee know: That’s the way we do things here. But these success factors often turn into orthodoxies, and no one challenges them”.
C.K. Prahalad in Harvard Business Review
Does this describe your business? Even if you’ve been very successful, things change. The economy takes a nose dive. New office equipment becomes available that works faster and more efficiently. Your customers buying habits and preferences are shifting. We need to keep our eye on market trends and consumers behaviors. We need to watch what’s happening in other business sectors, see how they’re adapting to new market forces and think about that applies to our gift basket businesses.
But most importantly, we need to be willing to change. We need to be willing to consider new ideas and take some risks. We need to be open to the possibilities.
July 28th, 2010
In May, 2010, FedEX Office released the results of its third annual survey of small businesses. Read the full article and consider their findings as you make your marketing for the remainder of the year.
The first interesting and encouraging finding: “almost three-quarters (72%) of small business owners say they will be the driving force behind the U.S. economic recovery in 2010″. This optimism is a real testament to the veracity of small business owners and the importance of small businesses in the marketplace.
Other provocative findings: 61% believe traditional marketing and advertising methods are more effective than web-based counterparts at bringing in customers”. And 44% of small business owners plan to grow business in 2010 by increasing communication with customers via printed materials”.
While we need to keep up with our on-line presence, don’t forget about more traditional avenues for advertising such as newsletters and direct mail.
July 15th, 2010
There are many ways that you can get the word out about your business. Yes, we should all be learning about social media and how we can make it work for us in our marketing efforts. But don’t forget about the “old fashioned” ways of letting people know about your business.For some inexpensive, simple ways to do some marketing, read the from Vertical Response, a company that specializes in email marketing for small businesses. Here are some ideas I like:
Ask your loyal customers to spread the word. Offer them a discount or gift for new customer they refer.
Consider offering free samples of your products. A small sample of one of your favorite gourmet treats may do the trick. Most people love free food! Make it something that they’ll remember and will help them remember you.
Make your network work for you. Other businesses can help you by putting your business card or flier in with their purchases. Offer to do the same for them.
Sometimes, the simplest connections that we make with our customers will be the most effective promotion we can do! The techniques presented in this article rely on personal contacts to make connections to customers. Remember the lemonade stand that you set up with your friends? Your neighbors stopped by because they knew you and your family and bought a glass of lemonade because of that connection. Maybe we need to think about this when we think about marketing strategies for our businesses.
July 11th, 2010
